So, the middle ground should be to have certain items that achieve certain value (for example, +7 prestige) become immortal and everlasting 
. They don't decay anymore or need repairs. They become legendary.
Yes, I think quite a lot of people have proposed something similar. The problem is not that we don't like Unique Items, as Tom said they do get sold frequently, so people must want them. But we would want them so much more if they lasted longer!
You could add Legendary Items to the game without changing anything to 95% of Unique Items. They would still work as they do now.
